The Abbey Cash Tray was a bar top or counter top vendor that came in either a penny or a nickel version and has several different vintages. The machine stayed the same throughout its history so the only way to tell the relative age is to look at the embossing on the lid or the name on the decal. The machine was made by the same company all along but that company changed names. "Silent Salesman Too" states that the Reliable Nut Co. made the machine first in 1934, then handed it to a subsidiary, Adams Fairfax, in 1947 and then Adams either changed their name or sold to Abbey in 1948. With these names and dates you should be able to discern the approximate year made by the name on the lid or name on the decal. I have one version that has no embossing on the lid. I believe this model was early and made by Reliable.

The only other variation on this machine is the globe. It can either have a round globe or a smaller lantern style globe. I have not been able to decide whether one style is earlier than the other or not. I do know that the lantern style was a common globe for many small machines and was sometimes used as a cheap replacement for machines such as the Atlas Bantam. I don't think that this was simply a replacement globe on this machine because the locks are different lengths for each style globe. I have noticed that I see more lantern style globes on machines that I know to be of early vintage, but that is only an observation not a fact.

Having been made from 1934-1950's these machines are plentiful and generally can be found in good condition and relatively cheap. If you find one in rough shape you may want to wait before you make your purchase because a better one will be along shortly.

This is an Adams Fairfax model that is 100% original with a great decal.